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| Chili
Night at Chowchilla by Debbie Shipherd |
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(April
27, 2003 Our #20 team was joined by twelve other NCMA wingless sprints who braved the weather, all anxious to race after a month long break in the schedule due to weeks of rain. We welcomed newcomer Bruce Slover #22 from Roseville, former midget driver Danny Olmstead #11D, returning local driver #93 Steven Williams, #0 Leon Holloway in his new car, and late arrival Doug Gandy #17 from Oakhurst. The 25 lap main began with the Wadco #2 George Terry and Chappa Insulation #6 Jim Janssen on the front row. By lap 5 #93 Williams had charged to the lead, followed by #11D Olmstead and the CC Auto Parts/Western Tile #20 Shipherd. Contact from another car found the #20 losing a front shock and pitting under the green. His determined crew got it repaired quickly but he came back out a lap down. A yellow flew for a rookie spin, as the track began to dry out sooner than some had anticipated. By lap 10 there was a tight race going on between Olmstead, Williams, S.Holloway, Amador, and Janssen, and Shipherd had moved back up the field to 7th. John Fenton driving the Cargill’s Welding #38 pitted with some overheating problems, and with 5 laps to go Olmstead led Williams, with the TBS #41 Holloway making a charge under Williams to take the #2 spot. Final results for the main were: Olmstead, S.Holloway, Williams, Amador, Janssen, Gandy, Wallenwaber, Thomas, Terry, L.Holloway, Slover, Fenton, Shipherd. Two heat races followed, as it was just misting, but the air temperature was sure dropping. The Olmstead team packed it up early as they had spent a few late nights making repairs from his flip at Antioch last Saturday. George Terry and #14 Darren Thomas had front row in the first heat, one caution was thrown for a rookie spin, and the race was won by #76 “Flying Farmer” Ed Amador, followed by Thomas, Terry, L.Holloway, and Slover. Heat two began
with last year’s rookie of the year, Russ Wallenwaber driving the
RPM#11 on pole and the Chappa Insulation #6 Jim Janssen on the
outside. Wallenwaber took the lead and held it until a yellow flag
came out for a spun car. On the restart, #41 Holloway got the lead,
followed by #20 Shipherd, and for the last 3 laps we were captivated
watching Holloway and Shipherd run side by side into every corner
and down the straights. On the last lap Shipherd gained some ground
coming out of turn 4 on the high groove, and made it a photo finish
win. Congratulations to all for a fun, clean race! Final heat finishes were Shipherd, Holloway, Wullenwaber, Gandy, Fenton, and Janssen. We thank Chowchilla Speedway for another fun night of racing, as always for their warm hospitality, and great hot chili, especially nice on a cold night. Special congratulations to Radio Flyer Sue Guinn, Tom and Cindy Sagmillar and all who helped put together Chowchilla’s first issue of a program for the fans, filled with driver of the week and fan of the week stories, Sue’s super Fan Fever race reviews, and great photos taken by L&J Photography. Many of the NCMA sprint teams will be racing again on Saturday night to make this a doubleheader weekend. The Del Quinn Memorial race will be held at Antioch Speedway with the All Pro wingless sprints to honor the memory of two time NCMA champion driver Del Quinn, who passed away. Drive safe, have fun, and take care, Debbie Shipherd |
